The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 15, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 16, 1995
Scott C Anderson, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
James M Cannon, Jr, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Endotex Interventional Systems, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US);
Abstract
A sheath holds a device against a balloon catheter for delivery in the lumen of a patient. The device can be a stent and graft combination. The stent is kept properly centered over the balloon catheter by the sheath as the graft is placed in a blood vessel. The smooth outer surface of the sheath protects the vessel wall from the rough surface of the stent. A notch is formed in the end of the sheath where the free end of a strand of thread protrudes from the sheath. The sheath is removed from the graft by pulling on the free end of the strand otherwise located distally from the outer surface of the sheath. The strand cuts through and splits open the sheath as a result of the force applied on the free end of the strand. The other end of the strand is attached to a reinforced collar at the other end of the sheath. The strand does not cut through the collar. After reaching the collar, the proximal force applied on the strand now pulls the split sheath from the graft and stent combination without disturbing the placement of the stent over the balloon delivery catheter.